Red tape reduced as Common Agricultural Policy simplified

by Ray Ryan, Agribusiness Correspondent

Thursday, March 19, 2009

A PROGRESS report by the European Commission in Brussels yesterday claims that enormous progress has been made in simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy.

The report outlines measures taken over the past three and a half years to reduce red tape for farmers and companies in the food business and administrations.

The commission said these and further measures promise to reduce annual costs by hundreds of millions of euro, which will render farming more competitive.

Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said the commission has done all it can to make policy less bureaucratic and easier to use since it launched its campaign in October 2005.

"Of course, simplification is a worthwhile aim in itself. It reduces red tape for farmers, administrations and other operators in the food sector.

"But, as the report shows, it can also save money — lots of money. And at a time of economic crisis, this is a real bonus," she said.

Ms Fischer Boel said CAP simplification forms an part of the strategy on better regulation.

"Progress to date has been so great we are confident we can meet our target of reducing the administrative burden arising from the CAP by 25% by 2012," she said.

Ms Fischer Boel said the simplification of the direct payment system, including the measures taken in the Health Check, is worth e1.4 billion in reduced costs.

The report includes other examples with clear financial benefits including "reduced licensing requirements, simpler cross compliance rules and the end of the obligation for a farmer to have a piece of land at his disposal for 10 months to claim direct aid", she said.

A total of 43 projects from a rolling action plan have already been implemented. Last year the commission repealed marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetables.

"This means operators no longer face compliance costs, national authorities no longer need to carry out controls and less produce will be wasted. Almost 300 obsolete pieces of legislation have been repealed," she said.

Ms Fischer Boel said 21 common market organisations had been replaced with one, reducing the number of articles from about 920 to around 230 and repealing 78 Council acts.

"We believe that through better use of IT, member states could further reduce the administrative burden on farms by more than e400 million."

*Mariann Fischer Boel’s blog is at blogs.ec.europa.eu/fischer-boel/

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, March 19, 2009